Workers of the Disk union confederation demonstrating during the Gezi Park protests
The relations between state insititutions and unions in Turkey, discussed by Işıl Erdinç (Université Paris Dauphine), Andreas Guidi and Elif Becan
Since 2002, when the Party of Development and Justice (AKP) seized power in Turkey, the relationship between state institutions and unions has changed toward polarization and fragmentation. The increasing interference of the government in unions’ internal affairs, explicit favoring the pro-AKP unions, has marginalised dissident confederations of workers, while former trans-union shared initiatives and platforms for defending workers’ rights have faded.
In this new episode of The Southeast Passage , Işıl Erdinç discusses with Andreas Guidi the historical background of this setting in terms of economic and social transformation of Turkey during the last decades. Secondly, some patterns of union activism and the profiles of the actors involved are discussed. Thirdly, the podcast offers an insight into some local configuration that show a limited, yet existing room for resistance against the AKP policies and state interference.
The Southeast Passage is a podcast about the history and the society of the Balkans and beyond. Researchers from various countries present their ongoing projects and discuss about the relevance of their topics inside and outside academia.
